The Labor enquirer., 1887-04-09
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| a : Salnpls sl,cc = sssia!l 4 !!o!!nop''o,- 8!
lis. Z snd 4 ! sssa!|hy I nsIir1ad \,
pirseler:
HOEHB| Il|Al|DE ! a HIS F0R1ullE, !! !.

Ihs Aystsrises HisteEy - NIllial
j Kiassse u San Rraasiscs, His
TAsftsf and Msrssrs,
/ Last week the monopoly papers wer
full Of mystery, It concerned, 4 ma
formerly known . William Kssane, bu
now living n San Francisco undsr an
other name, With another wifo, and 10
i the past ten years sweslthy and "respect
able" Citizen, erailresd director, a banker
a prominsnt politician, a good ohurcl
member, etc., eto.' :
he had been indicted under his owl
name, Kissane, in New York in 1854 fol
forgery; and he had sent only q month
ago lawyer from San Francisco TO ge
the Indictment quashed.
For years his identity has been know
to certain ofhcial Of the police depart
ment and 10 a certain newspaper in sar
Francisco Both of these have bled hin
freely as tho price for their silence.
| The following extracts from New Yorl
kilograms to the Ban Francisco press will
be Of interest as showing Of what kind OF
material some Of the mohopoly Glasses are
made.
1t was Victor Hugo who said "That no
great fortune ever existed which was moi
founded in crime"
ut is impossible to learn here yet under
what name William Kissane is living in
San Francisco.
Kissane is millionaire railway director
of San Francisco, and occupies promi-
nent business and social position.
The strangest feature of the whole case
is the fact that Kissane's identity might
have continued unknown for an indefinite
period to the people OF San Francisco, ex-
cept for the anxiety to get this old indict-
ment out Of the way.
The presentment of the grand jury
made on November u, 1854, to which Kis-
sane''s cou unsel desxes Ito. .enter nolle
prosasli, has practise|la; been dead for
yearAv
Itwas generally believed that when Kis-
his sentence j. II r. Sing Sing in March, 1866.
'ered two indlcImsDD.ss sas as a half fxasrA cog
sane is reported to have been threatened
with exposure by an old playfeilow, whose
family he had wronged. The former had
lived for twenty five years on the Pacific
Slope under an assumed name, and might
have continued to go SO, perhaps, had he
repaired that old wrong.
When all the facts about Kissane come
out the papers will have genuine sensa-
tion, said President George G. Williams of
the Chemical national bank to a World re-
porter yesterday.
His history is one of the most remarka-
BILE haye ever heard. Once the COM
panion of the most noted criminals of this
city, and guilty of numerous crimes him
self, he is at present living in luxury at
San Francisco.
The Chemical bank will oppose the mo-
ton of..his counsel to have the old indict-
ments against him dropped.
It is pretended that he has made good
all the money he unlawfully obtained from
the bank, !, but that is not true, and that is
the very reason why the case will not be
dropped
Some months ago Kissane opened com
munication with us on the subject, ant
tried to have us withdraw our opposition
Until that time we had no idea of what hat
become Of him.
| Now We shall insist upon the return o
the money due US.
The bank recovered $10,5OO Of the $14,
$40 that Kissane got from the bank.
The balance of $4,000, with compounds
interest, which We claim, now amounts II
about $4,000.
Steps will be taken to recover thi
amount.
/ Kissanes record is very bad one. HI
was mixed up in the affair Of the burnin
of the steamer Martha Washington il
1852. She was a large Mississippi rive
6oat, which was owned by Lyman Col
who was known to all the old detectives Q
this city. Kissane got possession of
in some way at Cincinnati.
u They loaded her up with bricks, chip
and worthless stuff in boxes and barrel
and got the cargo insured for larg
amount,
\ They pretended it was merchandise. A
III Helena, Arkansas, the boat was set on fir
Although twenty lives were lost, the Wasl
| ington was not entirely destroyed. ]
. this way the scheme was discovered XII
} sane and Cole were on trial for conspirae
, against the insurance companies, some
the bestlawyers in the country being el
, gagged in the case. They escaped on tecl
5 niealitiss, and the Arkansas authOriti'
! tried TO get the federal government to al
{ propriate money to prosecute Kissane an
. Cole fof murder.
. This was not done and they ran away.
n Chief Clerk Sparks Of the court Of GO
J eral sessions added these later chapters
i Kissane's history:
+ Last fan General Francis Dorr Of 8,
. Franciaco wrote and asked me to send hi
a ! record OF Kissane's crime and trial. !
~ 7 ss1ls. ha ranuaatad and tha renay